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10 questions with...Steve Hobbs

Published by admin on Mon, 01/18/2021 - 7:00am

Steve Hobbs is equally at home behind the wheel of a tractor and behind a desk. He’s spent plenty of time at both.
 
Hobbs has been a farmer near Mexico all his life. But he also represented Audrain County in the Missouri General Assembly from 2003 to 2011. And when he left the Assembly, he stepped behind a County Commissioner’s desk.
 
He serves as the Presiding Commissioner for the county. And he continues to farm corn and soybeans.
 
1. Why local government?
 

MLK celebration is Monday

Published by admin on Mon, 01/18/2021 - 6:50am

A Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. community celebration will be held at noon Monday, Jan. 18, at the Audrain County Courthouse, Mexico.

SSM Health, Noble Health move closer to finalizing deal for Mexico hospital

Published by admin on Fri, 01/15/2021 - 11:17am

SSM Health and Noble Health announced Friday the signing of a definitive agreement to transfer ownership of SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - Audrain and associated community medical group practices to Noble Health.

Mexico Parks Board recommends flat fee for pool use

Published by admin on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 8:31pm

In a rare January meeting, the Mexico Parks Department’s Board of Directors took up the question of the entry fee to be charged once the new pool facility opens later this year.

Parks Department director Chad Shoemaker and recreation supervisor Brooke Jameson advocated for a $5 fee per person, with children three and under getting in for free. After some discussion, the board voted 5-0, with one abstention, to send this recommendation to the City Council.

Three facing drug charges

Published by admin on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 8:29pm

Two Mexico residents were taken into custody on Friday after law enforcement officers discovered drugs, paraphernalia and a weapon in their home. Another was arrested on similar charges Thursday.

Destinie Renae Helton, 36, and a related minor, were lodged in the Audrain County Jail for the Friday raid.

Acting on a search warrant, members of the Mexico Department of Public Safety, the Audrain County Sheriff’s Office and the East Central Drug Task Force investigated a home in the 1300 block of N. Washington Street occupied by Helton and the minor.

Report praises Mexico Veterans Home's COVID-19 response

Published by admin on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 8:27pm

On March 8, 2020, The Missouri Veterans Home in Mexico went into lockdown. On that day, supervisors at the facility began outlining policies and practices to limit the spread of the virus. They assembled what staff referred to as a COVID Bible, creating a resource that was readily accessible.

As a result, the home did not record its first positive test for a resident until late October.

As COVID cases decrease, hospital relaxes visitor restrictions

Published by admin on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 8:24pm

This week SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Mexico began opening its doors, carefully, to visitors. The decision was made due to a decrease in community transmission of the COVID-19 virus and the policy went into effect on Monday.

The new visitor policy allows all non-COVID positive patients to have one support person at a time, over the age of 16, during designated hours.

Exceptions may be made for end-of-life situations.

From farm to kitchen: More local farmers selling directly to consumers

Published by admin on Sat, 01/09/2021 - 4:08pm

Fifty to 60 customers used to stop by the Hedge Holler Harvest booth at the Mexico Farmers Market each week – which seemed like a good number at the time.

When the pandemic hit, however, business for the farm’s meats, eggs and vegetables boomed. Suddenly Hedge Holler had 500 customers on Saturday mornings alone.

“COVID hit and people quickly realized ‘I need to know where my food comes from,’” said Hedge Holler’s Matthew Van Schuyndle.

Family Video closing marks end of an era

Published by admin on Sat, 01/09/2021 - 4:05pm

Remember membership cards? Or the battle between Beta and VHS? Happy little reminders like “be kind, rewind”?

With the announcement that Family Video is shuttering its remaining stores across the U.S., including the one in Mexico, those memories from the golden era of movie rentals dimmed just a little more.

That Family Video survived for 42 years is often credited to the company’s strategy of locating many of its stores in smaller towns, where there weren’t movie rental options on every corner.

10 Questions with...Alexis Burnett

Published by admin on Sat, 01/09/2021 - 4:02pm

Alexis Burnett has been a part of Audrain County her entire life. She was born and raised in Mexico. She graduated from Mexico High School, she worked cleaning houses in the community and she donates to local charities.
 
Two years ago Burnett opened The Gift Bar in downtown Mexico. The shop sells gift items – as you might expect – but its not the usual gift store. Inside you can find clothing, jewelry, decorative items, purses, locally made natural lotions and more.
 
1. Why open a small business?
 

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